Biography of Harvey PrintissSteuben County, NY Biographies

Prentiss, Harvey, was born in the town of Tyrone, now Schuyler county, April 27, 1835. Watson Prentiss, the
father of Harvey, was a native of Vermont, born in Brattleboro. He came to New York State when a young man and
located in Tyrone. He was a farmer, contractor and lumberman for a number of years. At the time of the building
of the Erie Railroad he had a contract for clearing land for them, and in 1850 removed to Hornellsville, and after
the completion of the road had a contract for furnishing wood to them both here and Canisteo. He bought a farm
of 183 acres south of the city, only five acres of which was cleared, and he cleared the balance and furnished
the product for the railroad for lumber and wood. He was a true Christian and for many years a member of the Methodist
church. He died in 1872. The mother of Harvey, who was Susannah Price, was a native of Schuyler county. She died
in March, 1877. They were the parents of three daughters and five sons, of whom four are still living: Albert,
a farmer of Allen, Hillsdale county, Mich.; George W., a contractor of Hornellsville; Anson, a conductor on the
Erie Railroad, and Harvey. The latter was educated in the common school and remained with his father on the farm
until reaching his majority. In 1857 he was elected constable and held the office for twelve years, and during
that time for eight years was deputy sheriff. In the meantime he held many other offices; was trustee of the village
for two years, and was street commissioner for the village of Hornellsville, and detective and officer for the
Railroad Co. He was an assessor, and a number of years inspector of election. In 1893 he was elected to the office
of supervisor of the Fourth and Fifth wards of this city. In 1870 he purchased the homestead farm, and still owns
the most of it, which he has laid out into building lots for the improvement of the city, and bought until he has
about the same acreage. He has dealt extensively in real estate and built a number of houses. He was married in
1857 to Miss Osie M., daughter of Christopher Doty, one of the pioneers of this section, by whom he had three children:
Edward A., who died Marcu 2, 1864, at six years of age; Ada Osie, wife of George Gill Fowler, a merchant of Dansville,
Livingston county; and Miss Grace Isabelle, a graduate of Hornellsville Academy, living with her parents.